Hospital violated patient confidentiality, state says

Sat, 05/05/2012 - 03:00 EDT - LA Times

Facility owned by Prime Healthcare Services wrongly shared medical files with journalists and employees, regulators say. The company, which could face fines up to $250,000, says actions were legal. State regulators determined that a Redding hospital owned by Prime Healthcare Services Inc. violated patient confidentiality by sharing a woman's medical files with journalists and sending an email about her treatment to 785 hospital workers.

Right after J C Penney Company Inc (NYSE:JCP)released weaker-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, a New York State appeals court has revived two claims against it made by peer Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M).

Washington (AFP) - Nurses at the Texas hospital where a Liberian Ebola patient died last week complain they were given few rules and little guidance on how to treat the severely ill man, contrary to assertions by US health authorities.

Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) will sack 600 employees globally. According to CNET, the company intends to cut its workforce by 300 in California and another 300 from the rest of the world.
Qualcomm claims the move is intended to help it rethink its business outlook and address its priorities. The company denies any link of the matter with the ongoing investigations it is facing in China.

Authorities from the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas released details about the course of treatment for Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the US, who succumbed to the virus on Wednesday.
Mr. Duncan’s death sparked criticism, as well as allegations that the quality of care provided to him was inadequate. Some blamed the authorities of being negligent as he was not a US citizen, while some accused them of being racist.

Sharing a patient’s medical record with anyone other than the patient is a big, fat no-no. Not only can companies found to be leaking the super-sensitive information be fined millions of dollars, but it opens them up to a range of lawsuits. And one Ohio medical center has found itself in that exact situation.

Canadian businesses need to seek the right partners and access investment capital to bring innovative products and services to the market. The GE Aviation Engine Testing, Research and Development Centre (TRDC) in Winnipeg represents a perfect storm of partnership and funding.